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Diffraction
and Interference of Light |
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Diffraction and Interference of Light
When
light passes through a slit with a size that is close to the light's
wavelength, the light will diffract, or spread out in waves. When light
passes through two slits, the waves from one slit will interefere with
the waves from the other. Constructive interference occurs when a wave
front, or crest, from one wave coincides with a wave front from another,
forming a wave with a larger crest. Destructive interference occurs when
a wave front of one wave coincides with a trough of another, cancelling
each other to produce a smaller wave or no wave at all.
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